Impact of the oncological treatment on change in taste perception and dietary habits of children diagnosed with cancer – preliminary study

• Authors: Jaroch, Alina , Różycka, K , Kupczyk, K , Kołtan, S , Jakubczyk, M

Abstracts

EN

Purpose: Chemotherapy, which is widely used in cancer treatment in children, may cause various side effects, including impaired taste perception, thus the main aim of the presented study was a subjective assessment of changes in taste perception and dietary habits among children undergoing oncological treatment. Materials and methods: In the present study, 41 hospitalized children were examined (mean age 11.0 ± 5.1 years). Anthropometric measurements were made, and diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Results: For 85.4% of the patients, the current treatment was chemotherapy. The average Body Mass Index value was 17.8 kg/m2 . 68.3% of children declared a change in taste preferences preferred tastes were spicy (39.3%) and sour (35.7%). Determination of the way of eating showed a significant reduction in the consumption of bread, milk and dairy products, poultry, meat, fish, potatoes, vegetables, and a particularly pronounced decrease in the frequency of sweets consumption. Conclusions: Oncological treatment changes the subjective taste perception of children in favor of intense flavors, and the process of oncological treatment, especially the use of chemotherapy, affects the way of eating

Keywords

EN

taste changes; pediatrics; nutritional status; oncological treatment; dietary habits

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Medyczny w Białymstoku
• Journal: Progress in Health Sciences
• Year: 2020
• Volume: 10(1)
• Pages: 61-68

Dates

published

2020-06-10

Contributors

author

Jaroch, Alina

author

Różycka, K

author

Kupczyk, K

author

Kołtan, S

author

Jakubczyk, M

Identifiers

DOI

10.5604/01.3001.0014.1909